FAQ

What is aerial dance?

Aerial dance is the broad term for a style of modern dance that incorporates the use of hanging equipment, also called aerial apparatuses. Aerial silks (also known as aerial fabric, aerial tissue, aerial ribbon, or aerial curtain), trapeze, lyra (aerial hoop, cerceau), aerial rope (corde lisse, Spanish web), aerial sling (aerial hammock), and aerial net are a few of the more popular apparatuses, although aerialists are also known to invent their own equipment.

Aerial dance shares a fundamental movement vocabulary with circus arts where high-flying acrobatic feats were used to amaze audiences. It has continued to evolve and is gaining wide recognition, especially through Cirque du Soleil popularized the concept of aerial work as a dance form with expression rather than a purely gymnastic movement art.

It is an incredibly demanding art form that requires a high degree of strength, power, flexibility, courage, and grace to practice.

What are aerial silks?

Aerial silks, also known as aerial fabrics, aerial tissue, aerial ribbons, or aerial curtains is one of the newest and most challenging, yet most awe inspiring and versatile aerial art forms. Only in the last 50 years has the technology progressed to create synthetic fabric strong enough to hold the incredible amounts of weight.  Aerial silk artist climb, twist, spin, drop, and contort themselves on curtain sheets that hang from the ceiling. The beauty of the silky material wrapping around the aerialists body is matched by the breath-taking courage it takes to be suspended several stories above the ground. The suspense builds as the aerialist contorts themselves in complex, multi-dimensional positions, then drop into a death-defying free-fall until the last second when they catch themselves mere feet from the ground.

Normally aerial silk artists work between 18-35’ but there is technically no limit to how high it can be done.  Poses and sequences often borrow from older aerial forms like trapeze or rope, but new ones are constantly being discovered, including dynamic movements like drops, slides, and rolls. The fabric is supple and pliable, and is wrapped and unwrapped around various parts of the body. It is also one of the only aerial apparatuses that can be done at full height. Aerial silk artists cannot wear safety harnesses, because it would get tangled in the fabric.

It is an exciting time for this new aerial style, because it is gaining popularity yet it continues to explode with new developments. Aerial dance training used to be limited to Olympic level gymnasts and circus performers, but now it is being offered to the public as a dance and fitness form.  Some of the newest trends to develop from aerial silks are aerial yoga and aerial suspension training.

Safety

What are the risks of aerial silks?

Aerial silks is a potentially dangerous activity involving suspending the body in fabric many feet off the ground. The most common injuries are overuse injuries in shoulders, pulled muscles, bruises,  fabric-burns, and dizziness/nausea (from upside-down or spinning skills). Possible risks include sprains, broken bones, paralysis or death. Students agree to participate at their own risk.

Students should only take classes from professional aerial trainers. Aerial fabrics involve complex wraps and positions that if executed incorrectly or slightly off could have major consequences including falling out of the air or getting caught in the air. It also involves high intensity impact forces on the body that can cause sprains, strains overuse injuries and internal organ injuries if done incorrectly. Do not try to learn from Youtube or people who are not qualified professionals. Unsafe aerial instruction can result in paralysis or death.

What safety measures do you take?

Sky Gym takes your safety very seriously. Our Master Trainers have been through the top aerial arts teacher certification programs in the country including NECCA and CAI. All of our trainers go through a rigorous Sky Gym Teacher Certification program that focuses on teaching and spotting techniques, and First Aid for Aerialists training. Our aerial equipment holds a minimum of 2,000lbs, and the rigging holds at least 10,000 lbs. We have a regular inspection and maintenance schedule to retire old equipment. We work above high-impact gymnastics mat that are specially designed to absorb high levels of impact force.

What can I do to ensure my safety?

Your safety is ultimately in your hands.  All students must adhere to the Sky Gym student safety policy, or they will be asked to leave the class.

Sky Gym Student Safety Policy

1. Students must strictly adhere to the level progression. Levels are designed to build on each other, incorporating progressively more strength, endurance, stability, and understanding intensive movements. Students may not learn or practice skills above their level.
2. Students must be able to execute a pose or sequence with strength, control, and proper body positioning before progressing to a more difficult skill.
3. Students must strictly adhere to the working heights specified in the program. The program starts low to the ground while students bodies and minds adapt to the new movements. Students will only be allowed to work at greater heights when they can safely execute the skill (with control) many times low to the ground first.
4. Students are not allowed under any circumstances to teach other students or anyone else, any movement, pose, sequence, or skills. This is also known as skill-trading or skill-sharing, and is strictly prohibited.
5. Students are not allowed to practice skills that were not taught to them by Sky Gym without instructor approval. If students have trained at other locations, they must get permission from their instructor before practicing each skill.
6. Students are not allowed to practice anything that they learned off YouTube. If students want to learn a skill that they saw on YouTube, the should send the link to their instructor and ask their instructor to teach it during class. The instructor will evaluate whether the skill is appropriate for the student’s level, and will teach it accordingly.
7. Students must respect the teacher and other students at all times
8. Students may not be under the influence of alcohol, any illegal drugs, or any prescription or over-the-counter drugs that affect their focus and concentration.
9. Unsupervised practice is strictly forbidden.
10. Students must respect their bodies. They are responsible for listening to their bodies, and not pushing them past safe working limits. Late nights, drinking, illness, stress, injury, and monthly cycles can all affect an aerialists strength and stamina. Be aware that your ability to safely execute sequences may vary daily.
11. Warm-up properly to avoid pulling or straining muscles.

Fitness and Health FAQ

Minimum health requirements

Level 1 classes are designed for new students who may not have alot of core or upper-body strength. All levels, ages, and body types are welcome. Students must be in good health, and in proper physical condition to participate in such activity. Clients with the following physical limitations should consult their doctor before participating in aerial acrobatics: Pregnancy, glaucoma, recent surgery (esp. shoulder, eyes, back, hips, hands or wrist), heart disease, very high or low blood pressure, easy onset vertigo, osteoporosis / bone weakness, recent head injury, cerebral sclerosis, propensity for fainting, carpal tunnel syndrome, severe arthritis, sinusitis or head cold, hiatal hernia, disc herniation or acute, discogenic disease, recent stroke, artificial hips, radiculitis (inflammation of nerve root in spine), severe muscle spasms, botox injections (within 6 hours). Although the class is designed for everyone, students will get the most out of class who if they can do the following exercises:

• 25 sit-ups and 10 leg lifts
• hang from a bar for 10 seconds

Regardless of strength, students with a background in movement arts such as gymnastics, dance, yoga , rock-climbing, martial-arts, or diving often advance more rapidly than other students because they already posses a spacial body awareness.

Soreness and stiffness

Aerial work is one of the most intensive exercises available. Aerial silks is the hardest of all aerial acrobatics, because the material is soft, so it doesn’t provide as solid of a grip as trapeze, lyra, rings, rock climbing or pole dancing. Expect to be sore after class. Soreness should last 2-3 days, and mostly occurs in the fingers, forearm, back, and abs. If soreness lasts longer than 5 days, consider taking a break until you are completely healed. Even if new students are in good shape, as with any new movement practice, they will probably still experience soreness. Aerial work is a a unique fitness program because it introduces the body to the instability of suspension. The body must strengthen all the tiny stabilizer muscles that don’t normally get used in ground-based exercises because the solidity of the ground. Expect to experience soreness regularly after class for about 4-6 weeks.

What can I do to build up my strength for aerial silks?

A great way to condition for aerial silks is to join our Wings of Steel aerial fitness class. The class builds core and upper body strength for all levels, from Beginner to Advanced.

Here are some of the most helpful exercises to do outside of class:

• Pilates type leg lifts
• Forearm grip toners (squeeze balls, springs, gyro-balls)
• Pull Ups
• Lat Pull-downs
• Incline Sit-ups
• Hanging leg-lifts

Sky Gym classes

What should I wear to class?

• Fitted, stretchy leggings or yoga pants that cover the backs of your knees. Recommended for men: leggings underneath athletic shorts, dancers belt (available at dance stores) if desired. Men may wear just athletic shorts, but be aware that loose shorts will ride up when upside-down.
• Fitted, stretchy top that tucks in and covers your armpits. Men must wear shirts.
• Absolutely no shoes on the fabric
• Absolutely no jewelry or belts on the fabric
• For those with longer hair, it is recommended that you pull it back so that it doesn’t get tangled in the fabrics or hang in face while upside down.

How do I purchase classes?

We recommend that you purchases classes online since class space is limited. Those who register online will get first priority. If you drop into a class and it is full, you may get turned away. If you do drop-in to a class, you are welcome to pay for your class in cash, check (to Sky Gym) or Visa/MasterCard at the beginning of class.

How do I get credit for my online class purchase?

When you pay for a class online, you must bring a printed receipt or display your receipt on your smart phone to get credit for the purchase. If you purchased a punch-card online, show your receipt to the trainer, and they will give you a physical punch-card. We are sorry, we cannot take credit card payments at the gym, but you are welcome to pay by cash or check (made out to Sky Gym).

What is the minimum and maximum age?
Sky Gym classes are for students ages 12 or older, and Junior Sky classes are for ages 7-11. There is no maximum age, in fact, AARP just ran an article about an aerialist who is 57. For older clients we recommend starting with the Sky Yoga program that is slower paced and lower to the ground.

What if I need to cancel a class?

Since class space is very limited, we must request the following:
Cancellations less than 24 hrs in advance will result in the forfeit of ticket cost
Cancellations more than 24 hrs in advanced will be rescheduled for free

If Sky Gym has an emergency class cancellation, we will e-mail everyone registered 24 hrs in advance, put the cancellation on the calendar, and make a Facebook announcement. Per students preference, we will either reschedule your class, or give you a refund.

Tips for making the most of your classes

• Avoid upper-body work-outs the day before class
• Get enough sleep the night before and avoid drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Eat something 60-90 min prior to class
• Drink plenty of water before, during, and after class. Bring a water bottle.

Code of Ethics

1. I will respect my trainers and fellow students
2. I will bring any complaints, problems, or concerns to the attention of the studio manager immediately after class
3. I will not use foul language in Sky Gym facilities
4. I will adhere to the dress code
5. I will not rig my own aerial equipment. If I do want to hang my own aerial equipment, I will get a certified rigger to hang it for me, and I will use aerial equipment from a trusted source.
6. I will not publicly perform aerial dance without written Sky Gym approval.
7. I will not eat food during class
8. I will be on-time for class or risk my space being given away
9. I will only take photos of myself or others (with permission) during trainer specified times